poppycock (English)

Where does "poppycock" come from?

The English noun 'poppycock' meaning foolish talk or nonsense was borrowed from the Dutch word 'pappekak'[1]. This Dutch term combines Middle Dutch 'pappe' meaning 'soft food' with 'kak' meaning 'dung, excrement'[1].

Full etymology tree

• poppycock (English), 'foolish talk; nonsense.'
  • borrowed pappekak (Dutch)
    • compound pappe (Middle Dutch)
    • compound kak (Dutch), 'shit, feces'

Descendants and derived words

• poppycockish (English)

Sources

1. poppycock (English) - Wiktionary

Updated October 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris